Pedestrian & bike safety
Consistent prioritySafer streets for people walking and biking through traffic calming, crossings, signals and protected bike lanes.
Residents consistently ask for physically protected bike lanes, safer crossings and signals, slower residential streets, and more space for people walking.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
324 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 157 | 12.9% | 1 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 53 | 4.4% | 10 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 114 | 8.6% | 3 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Protected, separated bike lanes
Residents want bike lanes with real barriers or physical separation, on specific corridors and as a connected citywide network, instead of paint alone.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Safer crossings and better-timed signals
People ask for raised, well-marked or signalized crosswalks, longer walk times, and fixes at dangerous intersections such as Cleveland Circle and Union Square.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Speed bumps and traffic calming on local streets
Residents on residential streets report speeding, crashes and hit parked cars, and ask for speed humps, raised crosswalks and similar measures, often citing children and seniors.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Enforcement and safety education
Residents ask for enforcement against red-light running, texting and blocked lanes, plus campaigns teaching drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to share streets safely.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Pedestrian-priority streets and plazas
People ask to close or pedestrianize streets such as Newbury Street and Hanover Street, or give them more space for walking and gathering.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
The largest and most varied set of ideas, with many hyper-local speed bump requests (especially Norwell Street), many pedestrian overpass and underpass proposals across Hyde Park, Roslindale and Dorchester, and requests for bike connections.
2025–26
A smaller set of ideas focused on protected or raised bike lanes, longer pedestrian signal times and crosswalk fixes, with an equity framing about residents without cars and Black and brown neighborhoods.
2026–27
Dominated by requests for raised, concrete-protected bike lanes (especially in Allston-Brighton) and physical barriers in place of paint or flexposts, along with signal retiming and protection against illegal parking in bike lanes.
New in 2026–27
Newly prominent are requests for sidewalk-height raised bike lanes with concrete barriers, enforcement and 311 reporting of lane-blocking cars, more crossing guards, and quick-build temporary curb extensions and planters.
Funding so far
No winning resident-vote projects relate to this theme, so every recurring ask (protected bike lanes, safer crossings and signals, traffic calming, enforcement and education, pedestrian-priority streets) has yet to be addressed by a winning project.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Departments that often lead this work
- Boston Transportation Department
- Public Works
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Pedestrian & bike safety
34 ideas
2024–25: 21 · 2025–26: 8 · 2026–27: 5 (of 324 in this theme)
- Separated bike lane on Washington St. in BrightonBuild a separated bike lane on Washington St. outside parked cars to protect people and connect Brighton to existing bike routes toward Franklin Park and neighboring communities.2024–25Brighton
- Safe bike passage under Brooks St. bridgeCreate a two-way bike passageway under the Brooks St. bridge and a raised crossing with flashing yield-to-bike signs to safely connect Brighton to the Charles River Bike Path.2024–25Brighton
- Safe biking pathsResident asks for safe biking paths so kids and adults can get around safely without a car.2024–25Brighton
- Pedestrian bridge at Cleveland CircleResident asks for a pedestrian bridge at Chestnut Hill Ave and Beacon Street to safely cross a dangerous intersection and reach green spaces.2024–25Brighton
- Assess Cleveland Circle pedestrian safetyResident asks for an assessment of how to improve pedestrian safety and mobility at Cleveland Circle, easing access to the park, T, buses and pool.2024–25Brighton
- Safer pedestrian crossing at Cleveland CircleResident asks for a crossover ramp at Cleveland Circle so pedestrians can safely reach the T.2024–25Brighton
- Speed humps on Corey and Brainerd RoadsResident requests speed humps on Corey Road and Brainerd Road because drivers constantly speed, endangering the many young children and families in the area.2024–25Brighton
- Redesign unsafe crosswalk near Whole FoodsResident asks for a redesigned crosswalk because parked cars block driver sightlines and lighting is poor, causing near-misses with left-turning cars. A safer crossing would help nearby elder care residents.2024–25Brighton
- Crosswalk with warning lights at Foster and Rogers ParkResident asks for a pedestrian crossing with warning lights at Foster Street and Rogers Park Ave, where many people cross and drivers have poor visibility around the curve.2024–25Brighton
- Safer crossing at Chestnut Hill Ave and Comm AveResident asks for longer crossing times, a wider protected waiting area at the B line stop, and ideally an overhead crossing, to improve pedestrian and transit rider safety.2024–25Brighton
- Speed humps on Foster StreetResident asks for speed humps or another speeding solution on Foster Street near Rogers Park, where speeding and curves with poor visibility endanger pedestrians and children.2024–25Brighton
- Pedestrian overpass from Newton Street to Daly FieldResident asks for a pedestrian overpass connecting Newton Street to Daly Field.2024–25Brighton
- Pedestrian overpass from new station across highwayResident asks for a pedestrian overpass connecting the new station and neighborhood to the other side of the highway more directly.2024–25Brighton
- Safer, accessible pedestrian crossing at dangerous intersectionResident asks for a better pedestrian crossing at a dangerous, confusing intersection that is hard to navigate with strollers or wheelchairs.2024–25Brighton